Marceline's Regrets
by Joshua Kehoe
Summary: It has been five years since Marceline left Ooo, and things were bound to change: some things for the better, some things for the worse. Can Marceline get over her ambivalence and connect with Finn on a personal level, even with the world working against them? -This is my first time writing aside from school, so critique is welcome.
1. Reunion

Chapter One: Reunion

It was midnight on the night of a new moon, and Finn was alone in the woods, waiting for an old friend. She had contacted Finn but twenty minutes prior, and he was all too eager to meet his long-lost companion. But then, he couldn't seem to think of exactly why she had wanted him to meet her, and he had been too shocked when he received her call to even ask a simple question. All he had said was, "Sure thing, I'll be right there". And so it was that for two hours Finn sat by himself, pondering that very question, until he saw a figure approaching in the distance.

She moved with astounding agility, and yet with such harmoniousness that Finn nearly allowed himself to let his guard down. However, he didn't, for five years is a long time to wait to tell someone to meet you at a discreet location in the middle of the night. She could very well be someone vying to enact their revenge in Finn, rather than trying to get acquainted with their old friend. But Finn couldn't help noticing that she was not in any way rushing, but rather she was meandering leisurely through the trees without any particular motivation. "_Classic, she doesn't even seem to notice me,_" Finn murmured

From what Finn could see in the low light, she had donned a complete set of jet black garments. She wore a rather large hood, which managed to mask her entire face. She also wore boots up to her knees and gloves up to her elbows. Her pants hugged her rather wide thighs and she had on a very revealing shirt that caused Finn to stare momentarily. As Finn scanned her body, he thought to himself, "_Has she gotten more beautiful since last I saw her?_" As she turned to pass between two trees, Finn released a small gasp, not loud enough to hear but just enough to incite a tremor from his stationary body. In stark contrast of her fully black apparel, she sported a bright green backpack. It seemed almost as if she bore it intentionally, despite the fact that it stuck out like a sore thumb in the dark.

He now had no doubt that this woman was his friend of old, for he had given that very same pack to her the day she had left Ooo. As his mind flitted about, pondering what she could have been doing in the time since that day, she shifted her direction and he caught her gaze: She looked ferocious, with a powerful sharpness in her eyes that would render a common man frozen. There was intensity in the way she stared back at him, as if she was peering into the depths of his very soul. "_But she has the most beautiful eyes,_" he thought, a vibrant violet that cut straight through his defenses, and as they stared longer into each other's eyes, hers melted into a warmth never witnessed by Finn. Finn felt so safe staring into her eyes, and he couldn't help but let a little smile betray his lips, and she returned the favor. And before he could utter a single word, she swept him up in the loving embrace that she had secretly been longing for ever since she had left Ooo.

And as they embraced, she simply stated, "You've grown, Finn."

"How do you always come up with the stupidest things to say?" Finn teased.

"Very carefully." She rebutted.

But they both had to admit, he had grown. He wasn't the scrawny young boy he was when she had left; he was now seventeen and he looked the part. Where once he had seemed thin and weak he had now become a web of wiry muscles that displayed just how much Finn strained his body daily. He was still skinny, but the frailness of his arms and legs were almost nonexistent. They rippled with strength, and he knew it. He no longer donned his childish white hat, but rather he had replaced it with the gaping maw of an albino bear, intimidating and fearsome in its entirety. But that is a story for another time. He wore the same shorts and t-shirt of his childhood, albeit they were custom tailored to fit his adult body.

As she stepped back to take it all in, Finn's friend couldn't help but let out a tiny gasp. After five years in solitude, without anyone to hold, she relished in lingering over every detail of his physique. "_What has he been doing all these years?_" She thought, "_I don't know how he has grown so big, but I'm not going to complain_". But what she failed to realize is that she had been staring at Finn for a flat twenty seconds, and he was more than happy to break the awkward gaze that she was currently directing towards his lower half.

"Hello? Ooo to Marceline, come in Marceline," Finn said suddenly.

Blushing, Marceline broke her stare and replied, "Sorry Finn, I've just been alone for so long, I can't help thinking about how much you've changed."

"I could say the same Marcie. You seem to have filled in quite nicely over the last five years." Finn said playfully.

Marceline, taking this as an insult, refuted "Hey! Don't be such a dick!"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy. I was joking Marcie. I actually mean you look really good."

Marceline blushed heavily at her blunder, and countered by saying, "You don't look too bad yourself, hero."

Finn winked and replied, "I kind of figured what with the way you were staring at my package."

"I totally was not looking anywhere near there!" Marceline yelled, blushing even more heavily.

"Okay, I guess you weren't. I must have been imagining things." And with that he winked again, this time licking his lips for good measure.

Marceline merely grunted and turned away, and with that they both burst into laughter. Finn walked up to Marceline, still laughing, and turned her around. They both stopped laughing, and Finn stared intently into Marceline's eyes. Their intensity replaced by something he did not understand, he thought to himself, "_Why did she come here? She couldn't have possibly just wanted to see me, it must be important._" So, as he stared longingly into her deep violet eyes, he simply asked, "Why did you wait so long? It has been five years Marceline, I thought you would have at least kept in touch."

Marceline, seeing the hurt look in his eyes, replied, "I wanted so badly to call you, to tell you everything was okay, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not after…" She trailed off, not wanting to remember what had happened the day of her departure.

"Marceline, I would have killed to know you were doing well. It hurt to think about what caused you to leave, but it was much worse for me to be clueless as to if you were okay." As Finn said this, Marceline could see that he felt sorry for what had happened before she left, and she could feel her barriers melting away as she stared into his eyes. They stood there for several seconds before Finn began to say "Marceline…" But before he could say anything else, she took his hat and put it on. As he was about to protest, she grabbed two handfuls of hair from the back of his head and pulled him in close, close enough to hear his breathing on her lips, close enough to feel his excited heartbeat, and as she stared into his eyes, she couldn't bring herself to kiss him. After all these years, she finally had Finn right where she had always wanted him, but she couldn't bring herself to let go of the final barrier she had remaining. Something inside her knew this was wrong, and beside her feelings, beside her longings, she felt her mind pushing Finn away. And it was all she could do to push him away too, and as he stared at her, shocked and flustered, she did the only thing she could think to do: she ran away. Through the trees, in the darkness of the night, and as she ran, a single tear escaped her beautiful, violet eyes. And all Finn could do was watch her run, too stunned to move.


	2. Departure

Chapter Two: Departure

5 years prior:

It was late in the evening, and the sun was almost finished setting over the landscape of Ooo. The shadows were long, the woods dark, and as Finn walked intently, he couldn't help thinking how amazing it would be if Marceline could watch the sunset with him. "_But that's what I get for having feelings for a vampire,_" Finn thought. "_If only she knew how I felt about her…_" And with that he quickened his pace to a brisk walk.

As Finn came to the cave in which Marceline resided, he began having second thoughts. "_What if she doesn't take me seriously?_" As he thought this, he began to slow down. When he finally reached the lake surrounding Marceline's humble abode, he was moving at the pace of a snail. But he was determined, and so he did a front flip into the boat docked at the edge of the lake and started rowing across silently. He didn't want Marceline to know he was there until he was ready, and even then he didn't want her to even know he existed right now. With his conflicted thoughts he rowed, and as he neared the dock on the home side of the lake, he jumped out of the boat and landed on the dock in a perfect roll, and let the boat stray about randomly so he wouldn't have to dock it. "_That would cause too much noise…_" he thought.

As Finn tiptoed up to her door, Marceline snickered to herself. "_He doesn't even seem to remember that I'm a vampire. I obviously heard his nervous muttering the second he came into the cave._" But she allowed Finn to complete his foolish endeavor to make it to Marceline's door undetected. "_He's so weird..._" She thought. Finally, Finn reached the door, and he pulled out a beautiful pressed rose. He handled it with such care that Marceline thought that maybe it was glass. It was amazingly preserved, a stunning sanguine bud with an equally vibrant green stem. Marceline could tell that Finn had put A LOT of effort into that single rose. "_What could he possibly mean to do with that?_" As Marceline contemplated this, Finn, still gingerly holding the rose, cleared his throat with confidence and knocked thrice on Marceline's door.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, for she had completely forgotten about Finn, and had been absorbed by the thought of the rose. But she got up from her perch on the windowsill to answer the door. As she reached it, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she shouldn't open it. But she had to know what that rose meant. She opened the door halfway, just enough for Finn to see one side of her, and said, "Hey Finn… What's up?"

Finn replied in a calm, reserved voice, saying, "A lot, but may I come in Marceline? I've been wanting to talk to you."

Marceline thought about Finn, and about the rose. "_What does it mean? It couldn't be what I think it is… This is Finn, he doesn't think that…_"

Finn interjected her thoughts, saying, "Marcie?"

"Yeah Finn?" Marceline replied.

"May I come in?" Finn repeated.

Marceline stuttered out, "S-sure…"  
"Thank you." And with that, he smiled just enough for her to see and walked in.

The first thing Finn saw when he walked in was her living room, and he was shocked by the state it was in. "Wow… what have you been doing in here?" he said.

"Oh you know, stuff." Marceline said with a wink. Her living room was a complete mess. Drained apples and strawberries laid strewn across the floor and couch, and the wallpaper was torn and peeling. A pile of instruments was slumped in one corner, the carpet had several different stains in it, and Finn couldn't quite figure out how Marceline had made such a mess in the week since he had last been here.

Finn managed to say, "I will never understand you Marceline…" As he said this, he turned to face her, and then he saw her in full view; she had on a pair of short-shorts, the pockets fringing out from the bottom. For a top, she wore her trademark anti-smoking shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her shoulders. She wore no shoes, and her hair was wild and unkempt. Finn couldn't help thinking about how hot she looked.

"And that's exactly how I like it." She said with a smirk and a wink for good measure, noticing that Finn was staring at her.

"So Marceline… Like I said, I 've been wanting to talk to you for a while now." Finn said with confidence.

Marceline thought about what she could say to mas her intrigue, but all she could think of saying was "What about, hero?"

Finn knew that the entire day had been leading up to this. Hours of rehearsing and refining of this very moment completely left his mind, and he was at a loss. He had to think of something, and quickly. Finn had to say the perfect thing here, for if he said one thing wrong, it would utterly ruin their friendship. For three full seconds he stood there, staring at the floor, not able to think of anything to say. What could he say? There she was, the most beautiful person he had ever known, and she was the most radical dame around. "_What am I thinking?!_" Thought Finn. "_She would never want me, not in a thousand years!_"

"Finn?" Marceline said timidly.

Finn knew he couldn't leave her waiting any longer, so he forced himself to blurt out "Marceline, we've known each other for a long time now, around two years, and in that time I've come to know you very well. You're the most beautiful girl in Ooo, and you're the most radical dame ever, and you are funny, spontaneous, and most of all, mysterious. You are the best friend I've ever had, and I wanted you to know that, well, I like you Marceline. Like, like-like you." And with that Finn let out a heavy sigh, looked up from the ground into Marceline's eyes, and laying the rose he had brought for her delicately into her hands, he ran out the door, jumping into the water and swimming across the lake. He couldn't bring himself to look back at Marceline; he knew what he would see. So he continued to run away, away from his love, away from his better judgment, away from his Marceline, and he didn't stop running until he was home and in his bed, regretting ever leaving.

But what he would never truly know was how Marceline felt after she received that rose, and how scared she was when he ran away. How could he know? She never told him how she felt, and she hadn't called after him when he ran. She was too ashamed that anyone could find her so special. She sat in her home, thinking to herself how stupid she was. "_Why didn't I say anything?!_" she thought. "_Why didn't I fly after him?! He just basically told me I was the center of his universe and I let him run away!_" Marceline smashed her head against the wall, leaving a slight dent. "_I know… I'll go talk to him right now. I have to fix this. He has to know that I'm not as special as he thinks; that I don't deserve him._" And she truly thought she didn't deserve Finn.

Aside her feelings, she decided to dress more warily, for she knew Jake would probably be at the tree house with Finn. "_I wonder how Jake is, anyways…"_ she thought. She decided to don a pair of black pants and a rolled her shirt sleeves back down. She grabbed her axe-bass just in case and started off. She knew exactly in which direction to fly; she had made this trip hundreds of times. As the tree house came into view, a wave of nostalgia washed over her, and she descended to walk up to the door. But as she grew nearer to the house, another feeling took over her senses; fear.

She didn't know what she would say to Finn when she got inside. She wanted to make it seem like she didn't have feelings for him, but she didn't want to hurt him. She knew she didn't deserve him, but he didn't deserve to be rejected. But she did have feelings for him, yet she couldn't. This was Finn she was thinking about; young, innocent Finn, who had found love but always had his heart shattered. Marceline was frozen at the door, waging a war in her mind over her conflicted emotions. For six minutes, she considered her options, and decided that the best idea would be to just comfort Finn while she could. Just as she was about to knock politely on the door, Finn swung it open and swept Marceline into a giant hug.

Taken by surprise, she pushed Finn away, regretting it immediately after she saw his expression. He looked worried, hurt, and timid all at the same time. She started to say "Finn…" but he hushed her. He merely said "Marceline, I understand if you don't feel the same way I do, and I fully respect that. I just hope that this doesn't change anything between us. I'm completely fine with staying friends, and I'm also fine with staying away from you if you aren't comfortable being around me."

But Finn couldn't know the war that Marceline was currently fighting with herself. She wanted so much to say that she wanted to be with him, she wanted with all her heart to say that she liked him too, but she couldn't do it. She just couldn't, and she didn't give him the chance to say anything. She looked away, and sobbed a little, then pulled him into a powerful hug. Finn simply wrapped his arms around her, savoring the moment. When she pulled away, all she said was, "Finn, I'm leaving."

Not understanding the whole meaning of that simple statement, Finn said, "Well… do you want an apple to snack on before you go?"

Marceline could see that he hadn't gotten the message, and what she said next haunted her for the next five years. "Finn, I'm leaving, forever."

Finn's resolve shaken, his mouth agape, he whispered, "Wha… What?"

Marceline stared into his sad eyes, and shook his gaze. "I'm leaving, and I'm never coming back." And with that, she started flying away.

"Wait!" Finn yelled. He then took off his backpack, his cherished backpack, and held it out. Marceline grabbed it, mouthed "thank you", and leaned down to kiss his forehead, and then she was gone.


	3. Realizations

Chapter Three: Realizations

Back to the present:

Finn didn't return home right after his encounter with Marceline; He roamed the woods aimlessly, in no particular direction. And like himself, his thoughts wandered about without purpose. He thought of Marceline, mostly, but not of the encounter he had just experienced. He thought of the times they had shared together, before she had left. He thought of the time when he and Marceline had gone pixie strangling, and that time when went on a romantic movie date as friends. He thought of the time she had given him dating advice; the experiences he had had had had an astounding effect in changing the way he felt about the beautiful vampire.

Ever since he got to know her, Finn felt like Marceline understood him, that when he was with her all his problems disappeared and all he could think about was how lucky he was to have her as a friend. But as he thought longer, he remembered back to when he had told her of his feelings for her, of when he had given her that rose that had taken so long to find. That single perfect red rose, which had taken several days to find, and painstaking hours of careful pressing and repositioning, not to mention the amount of effort it took to build up the courage to give it to Marceline. But that was the past, and this was now. He could still fix this, but he needed to figure out how.

After what seemed like a only few moments, but at the same time an eternity, Finn ended up stopping off in a rather large cavern with a lake in the center. He sat on a lone rock and contemplated what he possibly could have done to make her run away again. But everything that he thought up seemed too unrealistic, too hard to believe. And after an hour of pacing, thinking about why she left in the first place, he could only think of one answer: Marceline the Vampire Queen had feelings and emotions, and one of those, love, was directed at none other than Finn the Human. "How did I not notice it before?" He muttered to himself. "That has to be why she left. She was afraid of her feelings, and she knew she couldn't possibly love someone who was thirteen."

"You mean you didn't know?" uttered someone from the deep recesses of the cave.

"Who's there!" growled Finn as he pulled his ruby red demon-blood sword from its holster and bent into a fighting stance.

"Who do you think it is weenie?" As he heard the mysterious voice say this, he saw a rock flying in from the left corner of his vision. Finn deflected it almost effortlessly, as if he had expected it the entire time.

"Man, you're no fun." The voice sounded almost mocking, as if the person it belonged to was merely toying with Finn.

"You'd better show yourself now or when I find you I am going to slaughter you!" yelled Finn, and with that a set of lights flared to life, showing Finn exactly where he was. Near the back of the cavern he was in was a house, pink and white with several tiers of decreasing size stacked on top. There was a small dock, and past the dock, an unkempt yard of green grass surrounded by a short picket fence. The home seemed to be in a horrible state of disrepair, as if it hadn't been used in quite some time. He knew exactly where he was, and he had a hunch that he knew who was behind the mysterious voice too.

As if on cue, she asked, "Well, are you going to answer me now?"

Finn looked towards the direction that he heard the voice from and saw her, black outfit, green backpack, and now a slightly intimidating white hat that looked remarkably like… Finn felt the top of his head and felt only the tangled matte of his own hair. "_She took my hat…_" Finn thought. He stared dumbfounded at Marceline, who was now smirking at the fact that Finn hadn't realized she had kept his hat on. But then he noticed that her eyes were red, as if she had been crying just before he arrived. She thought to herself, "_But wait; if he didn't come for his hat, then why is he here?_"

"Are you okay Marcie?" Finn said, full of empathy. When she didn't answer, Finn began to walk over to the docked boat, and Marceline just stood where she was, frozen and unable to utter a single word. "_Not this again…_" she thought. "_Why is he so persistent in talking to me? Doesn't he realize that I ran away earlier so I didn't have to face him?_"

"Marceline, look… I really want to know why you've been running all these years. You left me five years ago, and now you're trying to leave me again. Why?" Finn asked. Having now reached the boat, he pushed off. The oars long gone, he began to paddle towards the other side of the lake.

"Finn… do not make me do this. I don't want to remember any of this; it hurts me too much to know I hurt you." Marceline said.

Finn slowed his paddling and, looking up at her, stated, "Marceline, answer me this: Do you, or did you at one time, have feelings for me?"

Marceline looked conflicted, and her gaze shifted from Finn to the ground. Somehow she knew he would ask her this question, and she knew exactly what to say. "Finn, the day I left, do you remember what happened?"

Finn was almost to the dock now, and he replied with one cautious word, "Yes."

"And you remember that you told me that you liked me? Or rather, that you like-liked me?" she asked.

As Finn reached the dock, he moored the boat and stepped out. Walking up to Marceline, who stood at the edge of the dock, he said, "How could I forget?"

Marceline only stood there as he came closer, stopping a foot or so away. She stared into his large blue eyes, and she couldn't help feeling like beneath all that strength, and all that confidence, he was still the young and vulnerable Finn whose heart she had broken five years ago. She stepped forward, cutting the distance between them, and wrapped her long arms around him, pulling him into a loving embrace. She felt like she could stand there for ages, treasuring the sensation of Finn's body against hers, his warmth enveloping her cold body, his heartbeat matching the rhythm of her breathing. As they stood there, Finn ran a finger along Marceline's neck, provoking a shiver when it reached the bite mark that labeled her as a vampire. An undead, unfeeling vampire. A cold, lifeless being, with no heart. And as she thought about it more, she only felt more like she didn't deserve Finn. Even after all this time, she couldn't accept that Finn wanted her.

She began to pull away, and as she did, Finn began to say "Marceline…" knowing that she was probably going to leave him again. They were now separated slightly, but Finn stopped Marceline before she could push him away any further. She said, "Finn, I can't…" but before she could utter another word, Finn pressed his lips to hers. At first, Marceline was reluctant to kiss back, but his passion was contagious, and soon she found herself pushing with an intensity that she had never felt from herself before. She melted into his body, letting Finn pull her in closer as his tongue pleaded for entry between her lips. She gladly obliged, gasping as the rush of euphoria washed over her body while Finn's tongue began to probe the foreign environment of Marceline's mouth. She grabbed the back of his head and he swept her off her feet and hoisted her onto his hips, all the while gaining more and more ground in Marceline's warm mouth. When finally he broke the kiss, they both gasped for air, sweating heavily, and Marceline could feel her heartbeat pounding wildly in her ears. "_But wait_" Marceline thought, "_I'm not supposed to have a heartbeat…_"

Between gasps, Marceline managed to blurt out, "Finn… That was… amazing…"

"Thanks," replied Finn sheepishly, "I'm glad you thought so too, because that was my first kiss besides Flame Princess."

"But… It's been years since then! How have you not kissed anyone in that time?" Marceline asked.

"Well, I could never really get over my feelings for you. Whenever I saw PB, or FP, or anyone really, I couldn't help but think that they would never be the same as you." said Finn, and as did so he saw Marceline's eyes brighten.

All she could manage to say was, "Really?" and then it hit her. She did deserve Finn, no matter how much she thought she didn't.

Finn then said something that Marceline decided to replay over and over again in her mind for a few minutes, something that would change her life forever. "I love you, Marceline the Vampire Queen." And no matter how much it didn't seem possible, he loved her, and she loved him back. "I love you too, Finn the Human." And as she said it, Marceline Abadeer felt like the luckiest person not quite alive.


	4. Changes

Chapter Four: Changes

After the events of the night, both Finn and Marceline were too tired to do anything but to go inside Marceline's house and sleep. Finn, being the gentleman he is, offered to sleep on the couch while Marceline slept in her bed. But all she had to say was, "Well my bed is the cleanest place in the house to sleep, so if you don't want to wake up dirty then you can sleep with me," with a wink and Finn was all but running after her up the ladder and into her room. When he got there, she already had her gloves and boots off, the green backpack lying next to the bed, and she was beginning to lift her shirt over her head. Finn immediately shielded his eyes and turned away, blushing a deep red at the thought of Marceline naked.

Sensing his distress, Marceline said, "Hey, if it's fine with you I think I'll sleep with my clothes on."

Finn turned around to see that she had her shirt pulled back down and she was shaking the dust off of her blankets. He walked up behind her and whispered "Thanks" into her ear, and then set out to beat the dust out of the many pillows that were strewn haphazardly on the bed. When the bed was as clean as they could make it, Marceline jumped up and landed on her back in the bed. Finn did the same, careful not to land on top of her, and they both turned to face each other. After a few seconds, Finn realized that Marceline STILL had his hat on, and he couldn't help thinking how cute it looked on her, no matter how formidable it was.

"You do know you can't wear my hat forever, right?" Finn said teasingly.

"Who said?" was her reply.

"Me," he said, and then jumped on top of her and pulled it off. Underneath, her hair was frizzled and tangled, stark black against the soft red of the pillows, and Finn started running his fingers through it in an effort to straighten it out. Marceline purred with delight, and ran her hands along his arms. She traced the whorls and bumps of five years of adventuring, slowing when she reached his toned biceps. Still preening her hair, Finn rolled off and they turned to face each other again. Finn stared into those violet eyes, and she into his splendid blue eyes and she felt herself shudder. "_This is what I've always wanted,_" Marceline thought to herself, "_And I can't deny that this is probably what he wants too._" She was content to sit there indefinitely, regarding the sweet empathy in his gaze. And as he stared, Finn felt that he could do the same, Marceline's beautiful violet eyes softening as she peered at him lovingly.

But eventually her hair was straightened, and reluctantly Finn pulled his hands away, still not wanting to break the wordless exchange of emotions and love that he and Marceline were so enjoying. For what seemed like hours they ogled at the other, neither satiated, until Finn fell asleep in Marceline's arms. Marceline looked out the window to her left to see that the sun was just peeking up from below the horizon, and she thought to herself, "_But Finn sleeps at night, not during the day; he must be exhausted. I almost forgot that he got up in the middle of the night to come meet me." _The more she thought about this, the more she realized that he had spared a full night's sleep just in the hopes that Marceline was truly back and wanted to see him. And with that thought in her mind, she snuggled up closer to Finn, inciting a smile from him. She lightly brushed her own lips across his, snuggled her head into his shoulder, and fell asleep with his breath washing over her neck.

The next day:

Finn woke up around midday, with the smell of bacon and coffee arousing his senses. As he attempted to lift himself out of bed, he noticed that Marceline wasn't in it anymore. "_Is she making me breakfast?_" he thought. When finally he got out of bed, he immediately slumped down on the ground. "_Wow, last night took a lot out of me._" thought Finn. "_I'm glad Marceline thought of making coffee._" Smiling at the idea of Marceline in the kitchen with a cup ready for him forced him to lift himself and sluggishly shuffle to the ladder that led downstairs. "_This'll be fun._" he thought with a grim smirk. As he climbed down, the smell of bacon growing stronger, Finn jumped down the last three rungs and settled not so gracefully on the floor in a heap.

"Morning sleepyhead." Marceline said, beaming a radiant smile down on him as she held out a steaming cup that smelled delightfully of vanilla and coffee.

"You. Are. Amazing." Finn said enthusiastically as he grabbed the cup and gulped it down. As it settled in his stomach, he felt a warmth blossom inside him as the caffeine invigorated his senses. Taking a rather large swig, he finished it off, savoring the sweet taste of cream that it had left in his mouth. His eyes shifted over to Marceline, who was standing and staring at him as he drank. "Thank you Marceline. That was great." Finn said, and her smile grew even larger as she gladly took the empty cup from his hands and brought it over to the sink.

As he watched her stride over to the kitchen, he saw that the kitchen was clean of dust and a large plate of bacon and eggs sat on the table, beckoning Finn to enter.

"Did you do all this yourself Marcie?" Finn asked in shock.

"Yeah," she replied, "I didn't sleep long, so I figured I'd go to the market kingdom and get you some breakfast."

"How long have you been up?" Finn asked.

"Well, I was only asleep for two hours…" she said, not sure how he would react.

With a thoughtful look on his face, Finn replied, "Well if you ever wake up early feel free to wake me up. I don't want to miss any chances to be with you."

Marceline grinned in his direction, and he caught a glint of sunlight shining from her fangs. Letting out a small hiss, she jumped back and Finn jumped forward to block out the sun. She chuckled, and then said, "Sorry, I guess I didn't shut the blinds all the way."

"Well, at least now I have an excuse to do something for you." Finn said with a grin.

"Oh no, I'm fine Finn. But thanks anyways." She said quickly.

Feeling let down, he said "Are you sure?"

Seeing that he wanted so eagerly to do something for her, Marceline said "Yeah, but tell you what. You can help me clean up the dishes after you finish eating the special breakfast that I made you." winking when she said 'special'.

"Fine, but I'll still owe you. And it smells delicious by the way. I didn't even know you could cook." Finn said, puzzled.

Smirking, Marceline simply said "I caught bits and pieces when I used to come over to your house. You can learn a few things from the things that Jake mumbles to himself when he cooks."

Now already chowing down on his 'special' meal, Finn muttered "Math," and continued shoving his face.

It took him only a few seconds to scarf down the heaping plate of bacon and eggs, and afterwards he let out a large burp. "Whoa… That's new to me." Finn said, blushing.

"I'm going to take it that you enjoyed your breakfast." Marceline said, dumbfounded at the thought that he could produce a sound of that magnitude.

"You bet! That bacon was as good as Jake's Marcie! When you said you picked up a few things about cooking from him, I didn't expect this." He said, patting his recently filled belly.

"I figured you'd notice. That's because I didn't make it. Jake did!" Marceline said, grinning from ear to ear as Jake stretched into the room from around the corner and wrapped Finn into a giant bro hug.

"Jake!" Finn exclaimed, laughing as he wrapped his arms around his brother. "I haven't seen you since you moved in with Lady Rainicorn! How have you been?"

Marceline, confused, cut in saying "Wait, you haven't seen him since he moved out? He told me he has been living with Lady for three years now…" Reality hitting her like a rock, she shouted "You two haven't seen each other in three years! Why?!"

Jake answered her, saying "Finn has been avoiding almost everyone in Ooo since you left. That's why I was so eager to come and do this; I knew he would be back to normal now that you're back, and I wanted to see how he was."

Marceline, still not grasping the level of angst she had caused Finn, said "What do you mean, he has been avoiding everybody in Ooo?"

This time Finn answered her, a hurt look in his eyes. "It means exactly what it sounds like it means. Marcie, ever since you left, I couldn't bring myself to believe it. I hoped you would come back some day; and I was right. It may have taken four years, eleven months and fourteen days, but you came back."

Marceline couldn't bring herself to look at him. "_Does he really care that much about me?_" she thought. "_I broke his heart, and he still loves me._" She started to weep, and Finn stepped forward to ease her into his shoulder.

"Let it all out Marcie," he said, "You're back now, and that's all that matters to me."

Jake, recognizing that this was a personal moment between Finn and Marceline, interjected, saying "Hey Finn, feel free to come over later and talk. I'd love to catch up with you." Then he stretched out of the room to the front door and walked out.

"Finn… I'm so sorry. I had no idea I hurt you so much." Marceline said between sobs.

Finn gently lifted her from his shoulder and softly lifted her chin so they were eye-to-eye. "Marceline Abadeer, it doesn't matter how much you hurt me. I love you, and I believe you love me too, and I forgive you."

Marceline slowly stopped crying, and stared into Finn's eyes. "Really?"

"Yes," he said, "Now please stop crying so we can go check out the Candy Kingdom. I'm sure PB would love to see you."

With that, Marceline smiled a little and replied "That's a great idea, I would love that Finn. Let's go!" She jumped back and ran towards the ladder, and Finn just stood surprised by her sudden change of emotion. When his mind finally grasped what was going on, he yelled up the ladder hole "You just get dressed, and don't forget your umbrella!" Then he turned around, walked through the back door onto the dock, and sat waiting for Marceline.

When she came through the door, Marceline had almost every part of her skin covered. She had a pair of blue jeans with her polished red boots reaching up to just below her knees. She wore a long-sleeve shirt with horizontal red and gray stripes, and she had on dark red gloves. As she stepped out into the sunlight, she opened the pitch black umbrella she was holding and held it over her head.

"Ready to go Finn?" she said enthusiastically.

"You sound really excited to go and see Peebles; Why?" he queried.

Looking a little put down, she replied "What, I can't be excited to see my friend after five years?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Marcie. I didn't mean it like that…" Finn said hurriedly, mentally punching himself for making such a stupid mistake. "Well what are we standing around for, let's go!" he said, happily changing the subject and eliciting a small grin from Marceline.

"Alright, grab my hand." she said. As he did, Finn couldn't help noticing how strong her grip was. "_Man, she must work out or something._" he thought.

The flight only took five minutes, and as they flew over the Candy Kingdom Marceline noticed that there was something different… Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. "Finn, has Bonnie changed anything in the kingdom since I left?" she said.

"Just wait and find out." Finn said, smirking. As they descended onto Bubblegum's balcony, Marceline noticed that there was a striking amount of blue pervading the room. The roof held a mural of a starlit night, and the bed had dark blue blankets, strikingly contrasting the pink pillows. "_What's up with Bonnie's sudden change of taste?_" she thought. As she contemplated why there would be anything that wasn't pink in PB's room, the door opened in from the hallway and Marceline saw her walk in. But she wasn't alone: A tall, handsome young man strode in holding her hand. He had sky blue skin and silver hair. His limbs were long and thin, lacking muscle as if he hadn't done anything physically exertive in his life. He had a soft expression on his face, and he seemed to be fully content with strolling along with the princess. He wore a midnight-black cloak that covered his entire body, with a leather belt strapped around his waist. The belt bore only two things: A small sack that looked to be heavy with coin and a thin sheath with what appeared to be the handle of a wand jutting out of the top. As they grew nearer to the bed, the mystery man and Bubblegum unlatched their hands and Bubblegum did something that Marceline never thought she would see: She kissed the mystery man.

"Ummm… Hey PB." Marceline said awkwardly as she turned away from the kiss.

Bubblegum jumped at the sudden intrusion and looked over to see Finn and a woman whose face was obstructed by an umbrella. More curious than angry, she asked "Finn! Why are you here? And who is that?"

Marceline answered jestingly, saying "I'm an assassin and I've come to murder you!" Then she jumped inside out of the sun and threw her umbrella aside, revealing her face.

Bubblegum stood shocked, not sure what to say. But her mystery friend reacted quickly tackling Marceline and unsheathing the wand from his belt. He pointed it towards her forehead, and then looked over to Bubblegum and said in a soft voice, "What will you have me do with her, my love?"

Bubblegum merely let out a choked "Let her up," and the man instantly released Marceline and stood to brush himself off. He then offered a hand in assistance, but Marceline got up herself and walked over to Bubblegum.

"PB, did he say… My love?" she said, trying to get a grasp on what had just occurred. Finn just stood in the same spot and observed the scene, chuckling to himself as he saw the confused look on Marceline's face grow.

Bubblegum took one of Marceline's hands in hers, and said softly "Marceline, it's QB now. I'm married."


	5. Acceptance

Chapter Five: Acceptance

"You're what?!" Marceline yelled, taken aback.

"Marceline, meet my husband; Cyrus. Cyrus, this is Marceline." Bubblegum said, releasing Marceline's hand from her grasp.

"So this is the Marceline you talk about so favorably; It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Queen of the Vampires." Cyrus said, and then bowed deeply.

"PB… When did this happen?" Marceline said, ignoring Cyrus.

"As I said, I am now Queen Bubblegum; as for when I married, four months ago."

"Oh I'm sorry _your highness_," Marceline said with spite, "I do hope you will forgive me for not addressing you properly."

"Marceline, I do not appreciate your inane behavior. If you will not accept that I am a changed woman, then I would have you leave immediately." Bubblegum said pompously, looking down her nose at Marceline.

Recognizing the contempt rising between the two women in the room, Cyrus interjected, saying "Would Madame Marceline or Sir Finn care for a cup of tea; seeing as you are both guests in our home."

Remembering that Finn was currently standing on the balcony, Marceline let her anger slowly fade away. "_I guess I probably shouldn't make a scene with everyone in the room_._" _she thought. Remembering Cyrus's offer, she rejected as calmly as she could, saying, "No, thank you. I think that Finn and I should be getting home."

"But Marceline, it's been five years since we last talked. Won't you stay and catch up on the happenings of the kingdom? A lot has changed since your absence: As you've probably noticed." Bubblegum said, looking as though she had completely forgotten what had just happened.

Breaking his silence, Finn cut in, saying "Yeah Marcie, I think we should stay and catch up. Just for a little while."

Hearing Finn's voice seemed to calm Marceline down, and she replied in an even voice "You're right Finn. Why wouldn't I want to catch up with my old friend?"

Bubblegum smiled, and then said "Marvelous! Cyrus, would you please?" waving towards a teapot that was conveniently sitting on a bedside table, surrounded by four cups.

Marceline glanced at the table, and then looked back to Bubblegum, asking "Were you expecting us or something?"

"Oh, no, Cyrus and I always enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon. You two just happened to stop by at the perfect time to enjoy it with us." Bubblegum said, looking over to Cyrus and smiling. "Although I suppose we should bring a table into the room. Normally we would lie in the bed, but then we don't usually have guests."

Seizing the opportunity to make himself useful, Finn yelled excitedly "I'll grab a table!" and ran out of the room.

Now alone with Bubblegum and Cyrus, Marceline felt inclined to ask "So where did you two meet each other?"

Cyrus's face lit up, and he looked over to Bubblegum as if asking permission to speak. She nodded, and he cleared his throat. Then, he spoke, enthusiasm dripping from his voice. "I met my love but one year prior to our marriage; she was in Wizard City to speak with the Grandmaster Wizard, my father. At the time, her reasons for speaking with him were unbeknownst to me. Though I, being in the room at the time, was shocked by the way she spoke of magic, saying that it is just misunderstood science, I could feel the passion with which she defended her beliefs, and I admired her audacity. However, I was practically the bane of her line of work; a wizard, a magic user. But despite my inhibitions, I confronted the princess while she was on her way out, asking if she'd grace me with her presence during the royal dinner that was to occur the night following her visit. She reluctantly accepted, on the condition that magic would not be spoken of. The following night, after an uneventful dinner, she accompanied me on a walk through my father's gardens, and during that walk she and I fell deeply in love. I later learned from my father that she had come that day to inform him that she would not be attending the royal dinner." As he finished, a soft smile lighted his lips, and he walked over to Bubblegum. They started to excitedly whisper into each other's ears, giggling occasionally.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, causing the two lovers to jump and Bubblegum to yelp. Marceline just stood nonchalantly as if nothing had happened. In came Finn struggling with a rather heavy looking table. "Found a table," he muttered, slamming it down on the ground in the center of the room. Peppermint Butler followed him in with another servant in tow, and they each placed a bench on opposite sides of the table and then walking out. "Thanks guys," Finn said as he saw them walking out.

"Perfect." Bubblegum said, trying not to look as flustered as she was. "Cyrus, would you please bring the tea platter to the table?"

"But of course my love," Cyrus said with a small bow, and then he walked over to the bedside and retrieved the platter.

"Thank you." she said, smiling at him. Turning to address Finn and Marceline, she said "Now if you two would kindly sit down, I can attempt to get you both caught up with recent events."

They both walked to the table and chose spots next to each other. Cyrus placed the tea platter in the center of the table, and he and Bubblegum sat adjacent to them.

"So what do you want to know about first?" Bubblegum began.

Marceline started by asking, "Have you done anything to the Kingdom? I noticed there was something different about it."

Bubblegum's eyes lit up, and she said elatedly, "Well you see, since Cyrus is a wizard, I figured I'd incorporate some magic into the city. You probably noticed that some of the buildings were floating." she said and Cyrus cut in, saying "That was my idea. The river floods occasionally, so I proposed that we make the important buildings float."

Bubblegum smiled and said "Thank you Cyrus," then continued. "We also decided to replace the electric lamps with werelights, to provide a more natural feel. Finally, we added some magic shops to the city so people could buy medicine and spells without having to go to Wizard City."

"So wait," Marceline said, perplexed. "You, with all your science and disbelief in magic, allowed you city to have magic shops and werelights?!"

Cyrus and Bubblegum laughed simultaneously, and Cyrus said "It's not as simple as it sounds; it took quite a bit of convincing to sway her opinion, if you know what I mean." Then he winked at bubblegum, who blushed and giggled.

Marceline cut in, trying to change the subject. "So Bubblegum is there anything you want to ask either of us?"

Bubblegum stopped laughing, and said "Actually yes, I do. It is a question for you Marceline." she looked like she was having trouble finding the words to say, something that rarely ever happened to her. "Marceline, I… I'd like to know… What I'm trying to ask is…"

"Why did I leave?" Marceline said, sensing what she was trying to ask.

"Yes. Exactly. How did you know that was what I was asking?" Bubblegum said, dumbfounded.

Marceline chuckled, and then explained. "Just a hunch. But actually, I left for the same reason I came back. You see, five years ago, Finn… came to my house with an absolutely beautiful pressed rose… and he revealed his feelings for me. But it had been so long since I had had a good relationship, what with Ash and all, I couldn't bring myself to believe that he really cared about me. So I ran from my feelings, and it took me five years to come to my senses. In a way I'm glad I took so long to come back, because Finn is more able to love me how I need to be loved." Marceline then smiled and took Finn's hand, and they looked into each other's eyes. "I've finally found somebody who will love me for me." she said affectionately.

"What do you mean, 'more able to love you how you need to be loved'? Finn is only seventeen. You two didn't… do anything did you?" Bubblegum asked, sounding concerned.

Marceline looked shocked that she would even mention something like that, but nonetheless she answered "And so what if we did. He's mature enough."

Cyrus was the one to reply, and he simply said "Actually, I'm sorry Marceline, but it is illegal to have sexual relations with someone under eighteen."

"What are you talking about… Bubblegum what is he talking about?!" Marceline asked angrily.

Bubblegum nodded gravely, then said "I'm afraid he's right Marceline. There are rules, and whether you like it or not you have to follow them. You are over one thousand years old and he, only seventeen. I'm sorry, but you're under arrest for statutory rape."

Before Marceline could even shout "This is absurd!" everything went dark, and all she could was slowly drift away, hearing Finn's yelling float into her subconscious.

**Cliff hangers, you've got to love them right? I am taking a brief hiatus, and I will continue posting new chapters starting the second of January. Happy holidays! )**


	6. Awaken

**Surprise! A new chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter Six: Awaken

Marceline awoke in a dark cell, facing diagonally towards the door, just within sight of a torch in a sconce around the corner. The air was damp and musty, and a horrible smell of feces and unwashed bodies pervaded her senses. She was slumped in the corner against a bare wall, the strength of her ankles and wrists subjected to the weight of iron chains. Shadows danced across her field of vision, and she could occasionally hear a soft _pitter-patter_ echoing through the halls. She had no idea how long she had not been conscious, nor did she know where she was. Then she thought about Finn, and started to panic.

"_Where is he? What are they doing to him? I hope he's okay…_" as her mind conjured more and more horrifying fantasies, Marceline started to sob. Not caring if anyone heard her, she said "Oh Finn, I'm so sorry."

"You should be." said a woman's voice.

As she looked up, she saw that Bubblegum was walking into the now open cell. Marceline stared at her maliciously and spat out "What the hell could you possibly want you bitch?"

Bubblegum looked at Marceline in mock astonishment and said playfully "Why would you call me that Marcie? I thought we were friends." Then her mockery turned to anger and she spoke, hatred emanating from every syllable, "But wait… oh that's right. We're not friends, seeing as you find it okay to avoid me for five years and then when you finally come back you go straight to HIM?!" hissing the last word as if she despised the very idea of it.

Marceline was taken aback, shocked at how trivial Bubblegum's hatred seemed. "_I'm chained to a wall because I didn't visit her before Finn?_" she thought to herself.

Not caring that Marceline hadn't responded, Bubblegum continued. "And you had the audacity to treat me like I am inferior to you? I am a queen now, same as you. If you don't like that, well that's just tough luck." Marceline just sat speechless, dumbstruck by the superficiality that Bubblegum had evolved in her absence. "It's funny really; I saw you flying here with someone from miles away. I set out four cups for tea, because I wanted to catch up with you. But then I saw that it was Finn that was with you, and I realized you care more for him than you do me. Yet even then I didn't care much. But when you mocked my title, I couldn't have hated you more." Then she snickered and furthered her speech. "It's funny really; if you hadn't been so contemptuous, I would have let you and Finn leave peacefully."

Marceline realized what she meant by that, and said as calmly as she could, "What do you mean you AND Finn? Isn't he free to leave, seeing as he is the victim of this crime?" figuring she would play along.

Bubblegum just cackled maniacally, and then replied "Oh, you didn't think I would just let him go did you? He is just as guilty as you are: He stole you from me."

"What?!" Marceline yelled, spittle flying from her mouth, her mind racing as she grasped just how crazy Bubblegum's notions were getting.

"Oh yes." she said, "I'm going to make him wish that he never even thought of being with you." With that, Bubblegum pivoted and started walking towards the exit. Marceline began cursing left and right, shouting as loudly as possible, rattling her chains with all the strength she could muster. But Bubblegum didn't look back. She walked on as the door to the cell automatically shut behind her and Marceline was plunged into darkness once again, and then she was alone; cold, heartless and alone. She stopped screaming and fell back into her corner, slowly slipping from reality and into her demented mind.

**One transition later:**

Hours after Bubblegum's visit, a voice sounded from outside the cell. "Marceline, are you awake?"

Caught off guard, Marceline looked up quickly and immediately regretted it. A flood of pain rushed from the back of her head, and she winced. She rested it back on the wall, and then said "Who's there? Where are you?"

For a moment not a sound could be heard. Then, the voice said "Marceline, I'm going to bust you out of here. Now if you would kindly look away from the door for a moment."

Confused, she kept staring in the direction of the voice and asked "What, why…" but before she could finish her sentence, a blinding light flooded her eyes for a split second and she screamed in pain.

For a few seconds she couldn't see anything, but then a humanoid shape emerged from the darkness. "I'm sorry for that, but I did tell you to look away." she heard the shape say. Then she felt the chains drop from her left wrist, followed by the right. All she could do was sit motionless and blink away the tears from her nearly useless eyes. As the figure moved to the restraints on Marceline's ankles, she looked up and began to see features coming into focus. It was still too dark to see much of anything, but she could faintly make out the concentrated frowning of a young man with silver locks falling over his eyes.

"Cyrus… Is that you?" Marceline said.

Cyrus chuckled, and then said "Yeah, I guess I should have told you since that spell I destroyed the door with blinded you."

Marceline was too surprised to laugh, so she just let her head fall back down. "_Why is Cyrus breaking me out?_" she thought. "_And why isn't Finn with him?_"

"Got it!" Cyrus said, as the final restraint was removed from Marceline's lifeless leg.

"Cyrus?" Marceline said weakly.

"Yes?" he replied.

Marceline struggled to think of the easiest way to ask why Finn wasn't here rescuing her, and she let out a pained "Where is he?" then, her vision finally recovered, she lifted her head and looked him in the eye.

He looked down at the ground, then held out his hand and softly said, "We should go before Bubblegum decides to check on you again." Marceline stared at his hand dejectedly, but took hold of it anyway. He pulled her up and slung her arm over his shoulder.

Cyrus then started to trudge through the abandoned halls. Marceline hung on limply, wondering why there weren't any guards in the castle. She noticed the halls were dim, as if all the lights had been turned off. Then she remembered what Bubblegum had said. '_We also decided to replace the electric lamps with werelights, to provide a more natural feel._'

"You stopped the flow of magic to the werelights, right?" Marceline asked.

Cyrus smiled lightly; he was glad she had noticed his ingenuity. "Yes, as a matter of fact I did. I figured you would notice" he replied.

Taking advantage of his good mood, Marceline inquired, "So why are you doing this?"

Cyrus looked troubled, seemingly debating how much he should reveal to Marceline. "My wife… Has gone crazy." Nodding at his word choice, he looked over at Marceline.

She looked back at him, and then managed to let out a quiet "Finn?"

Cyrus' expression changed from somber to grim, his skin turned pale, and he shook his head firmly. "Not now."

Marceline was genuinely concerned now, and pressed him further. "What? What is she doing to him?!"

Cyrus stopped in his tracks, removed Marceline's arm from his back, and looked her straight in the eyes. Defeated, on the verge of tears, he said it.

Three words that no one, not even a vampire, could cope with.

And as he said those three words, Marceline felt her heart beat savagely, as if she was a rabbit that had just received a shot of adrenaline. It beat not for love, but anger.

Anger is something that, uncontrolled, can cause anguish and woe, sorrow and terror. It can devastate you and those around you; it can undo the strongest of bonds. Marceline knew all this, but she didn't care.

Her mind was overwhelmed by one idea, one overpowering need that clawed at her like a cruel bear: revenge.

And that need for revenge was fueled by three words that kept playing over and over and over, blocking out every other thought, and repressing any doubt that what she was going to do didn't need to be done.

Three words that Cyrus knew should have never been spoken to Marceline. The look on her face said it all.

As she tore away, invigorated with the vitality of one thousand gods, she became feral, those three words bouncing around in her head, threatening to drive her insane.

Then she lost it; something in her subconscious snapped, and she ran faster than seemed physically possible. One image filled her entire being with the pain of a million suns, but she kept running, for that image was the representation of her anger, the embodiment of those three words that threw her over the edge.

"Finn is dead."

**And so it is that the true heart-stopping, jaw-dropping cliffhanger has revealed itself. You didn't truly think I could let you all go with Marceline just thrown in jail now did you? I hope you don't hate me too much, but now I am really taking a break until January the Second. Enjoy the anguish of uncertainty! (I'm such a sadist)**


	7. Manipulation

**Hey everybody! Hope you all had a great holiday season. As promised, I have returned with a new chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter Seven: Manipulation

As she tore through passageways, up flights of stairs, and around corners she knew like the back of her hand, one thing suffused Marceline's insanity. Revenge: Bubblegum had killed Finn, and the only thing Marceline could think of doing is killing her in return. An idea which held control of her motor functions as she sprinted towards where she knew Bubblegum would be: in the underground lab where she performed her darkest experiments.

The torches lining the walls flickered in their sconces as Marceline flashed by, and the only sound to be heard was the quick but hysterical thump of light footsteps and the echo of a voice in the distance shouting after her. She paid no attention to the cautions Cyrus was yelling after her: she didn't even seem to acknowledge them. All she did was run, run towards the cause of her savage behavior. As Marceline turned the final corner, a large candy-steel door presented itself before her.

"Fuck!" she yelled angrily, then smashed a fist against the door she knew to be nearly impenetrable. Marceline didn't try to repress the emotions that exploded within her. She started battering the door with a hatred that seemed to seethe from her very skin. She continued beating the door; though to her immense frustration she left not a single dent on the smooth barrier. She growled a nearly unintelligible "WHY?!" and collapsed on the floor. As she sat, defeated and exhausted, she began thinking of what had led up to this hopeless situation.

"_How long have I been here?_" she thought, "_and why did I even come in the first place?_" Then it dawned on her. "_Finn wanted to come here so I could visit Bubblegum! If it weren't for his stupid idea he would be alive and we would be together at home!_" she yelled in her mind, then grabbed two handfuls of her own hair and tugged at them as hard as she could. She felt her anger intensify as she felt the pain threaten to split her head. Marceline started hitting herself in the face, growing all the more angry with each blow. "_Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I listen to him!_" In her rage, she reached her arm up to her mouth and bit down, fangs elongating as the taste of blood flooded her mouth.

As she realized what she was doing, Marceline pulled her arm away, but it was too late. She had already ingested a small amount of blood, and as it was absorbed back into her bloodstream her pupils dilated with a rush of euphoria. The pain in her arm kept getting agitated, but she liked the pain. As she realized the loophole in Vampire anatomy she had just uncovered, Marceline bit into her arm once more, this time intending to drain it of its rich blood. She had just found a secret reserve of energy, a never-ending supply of delicious, cold blood. As she drank, the blood was quickly digested and then absorbed into the bloodstream to be consumed again. The digestion may take some of the nutrients from the blood, but those nutrients would be reabsorbed later in the digestive process.

Marceline began to drink more deeply, relishing the ecstasy that spread through her body every moment of the feeding. For several minutes she drank, and when finally she pulled away, a powerful feeling rapidly enveloped her mind, and it forcefully pierced the wall of bliss that muddied her thoughts.

Marceline didn't understand the feeling that now flowed into her mind; a sense of hyperawareness unlike anything she had ever experienced. She felt no pain, no emotion, and everything around her seemed to bend to the will of her insane psyche. It was as if a thin veil of mist had been lifted from the world, everything presenting itself with an icy clarity. Marceline felt the vibrations of the matter that comprised her physical world, could see the sounds that cut through the air. She closed her eyes and drank in the incessant flow of stimuli that threatened to cripple her immortal brain. With blood still leaking from her open bite wound, she surged upward so effortlessly that it seemed as if the world moved instead of her, and opened her eyes to find that the torches on the walls seemed to be completely still. The world swiveled in a circle around Marceline, and then rested when the door was directly in front of her.

Marceline rested a single hand on the damned barrier, closing her eyes as it reeled from her touch as if it were nothing more than paper. She heard nothing, she felt nothing, and all she knew was the world seeming to shrink in front of her, until she was almost close enough to taste the insanity that flowed from her; Finn's murderer, the sadistic abomination that stood unmoving as Marceline came to rest but a foot away from her. Marceline opened her eyes and they hungrily absorbed the scene that lay before her.

They first alighted on Bubblegum, unmoving and silent, staring into the distance of the room. Marceline's eyes then moved on, sweeping across the room. It was a cave of sorts, completely smooth and bare, dull gray and fascinating in its simplicity. But then, everything was fascinating when the very idea of knowledge is put to shame by Marceline's consciousness. Yet as her eyes found Finn's unmoving body, she broke. The clarity of the world shattered in that one moment and the world sped up exponentially, a wave of ambivalence devastating her weakening state of mind as she felt her doubts creeping in.

Bubblegum was now staring at Marceline, her mouth agape. Marceline just continued to stare at Finn's lifeless body, finally acknowledging that he was gone forever. Then she looked back to Bubblegum, who was still staring at her, and held back the tears that threatened to violate her beautiful violet eyes. She managed a pained, "Why?" and then let it all out, sobbing uncontrollably as Bubblegum answered.

"I didn't mean to…" she said, surprised by the words that had just escaped her mouth.

Marceline turned away, staring at the ground and shaking violently as tears rained down from her eyes. "How did you not mean to?! He's right there you stupid bitch… he's dead. Because of you he is dead. And yet you have the nerve to say that you DIDN'T MEAN TO!" she screamed, looking back at Bubblegum and directing as much virulence into her gaze as she could.

Bubblegum just stared, speechless. How could she possibly explain the events that had led to Finn's death? She had no idea how to begin, but she said the one thing that she knew would hold Marceline long enough. "It was Cyrus… it was all Cyrus."

Marceline stared incredulously at Bubblegum, but she was too tired to argue, so she walked over to Finn's unmoving form. "You have five minutes." she muttered, just loud enough to hear, and then laid next to Finn and wrapped her arm around him. "_Dead, and yet still warmer than I am._" she thought. If she hadn't been so tired, Marceline might have noticed the faint flutter of a heartbeat that rhythmically thumped in Finn's chest. She may have also noticed the soft sound of Finn's weak breathing. But instead, she laid pressed against his back, too tired to do anything but listen to Bubblegum.

"Thank you. I didn't know it at first, but Cyrus cast a spell on me that transformed my love for Finn into love for him." Bubblegum began, choosing her words carefully. "How could I know? For all I knew I fell in love with him of my own accords. But alas, he tricked me into loving him. And as Finn and I grew more distant after you left, with him secluding himself in his house and me busy with my new husband, my love for him only strengthened. Not passionate love, but caring love. Finn was like a son to me, and I loved him as if he was my own. Cyrus, however, did not love Finn. He merely used him to force me to love him. It was clever really, translating my motherly love for Finn, a hero who could defend himself for years to come. But again, Cyrus did not earn my love, he stole it. But when you returned with Finn, he feared that I would relinquish my love for him because Finn had someone to take care of him. So he made me promise to go along with whatever he said to you, and I did. He had hoped to only take you, but after he knocked you out with that spell, Finn wouldn't leave your side. He tackled Cyrus and kept yelling 'Let her go' until he had to be knocked out also. In his anger, he made me force Finn to drink this potion, and I had no choice but to listen." she held up an empty vial and let it drop to the floor and shatter, then continued. "Knowing that Finn was going to die only made me care more for him, and adversely made me fall even more deeply in love with Cyrus, to the point that I did not control my actions." a tear escaped her soft eyes, and she wiped it quickly away. "And when the deed was done, I felt that I had to trust that what I had done was right, because Cyrus said it was alright. But that was the flaw in his spell, in believing that Finn's death was justified, I couldn't love him. And if I didn't love him, then I didn't love Cyrus. However, he realized that he had failed and so he trapped me down here, hoping that being with Finn's dead body would make me care for him again. But how can I? He won't come back, he never will." with that she started bawling uncontrollably, and Marceline released Finn to walk over and comfort her. She was too exhausted to float.

Marceline withheld her tears, knowing that Bubblegum needed the reassurance that everything was alright. "I'm… so… sorry… Marceline" she sobbed out, gasping in air after each word. Marceline just took her head and rested it on her shoulder, then wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her back. "I forgive you Bonnie." Marceline said, and Bubblegum chuckled between her sobs. "Thank you." she said, then pulled away and wiped the tears from her face. They still came out in small bursts, but she had control of her breathing and she had stopped shuddering. Marceline looked into her face and asked her the question that was creeping into her mind.

"Bubblegum, if Cyrus was controlling your thoughts and making you kill Finn, why did he help me to escape the dungeon?" Marceline asked, barely recognizing the confusion on Bubblegum's face.

"What do you mean? Cyrus broke you out of your cell?" Bubblegum asked stupidly.

Marceline realized that Bubblegum truly had no idea what she was talking about, so she elaborated for her. "I was sitting in my cell and Cyrus blew the door open with some magic bomb or something and then carried me through the halls. But when he told me that Finn was dead, I lost it and ran here, where I knew you would be."

Bubblegum was wracking her brain trying to think of why her demented husband had aided in Marceline's escape. Only one idea came to mind. "Perhaps he knew you would come after me. Maybe he thought that you would kill me for him, because he needs me dead now that I know what he did to me. And if you kill me, he can kill you and say that some crazy Vampire murdered his wife." As she finished her brilliant thought, the sound of clapping floated in from the hallway.

Cyrus walked in, his cloak billowing, a sadistic grin on his face. As he reached the center of the room, Marceline went into a defensive crouch and Bubblegum stood behind her. "Well done my love," he said indignantly. "You figured me out. Though, you mixed up one portion." he hissed, then smiled again, and continued. "You see, I never expected Marceline to kill you. I knew that she would let you explain and then you two would be chummy gain. I merely wanted you both in the same room so I can kill both of you and blame Marceline for your death." With that, he lunged forward, reaching for Marceline's neck. But even though she was tired, malnourished and emotionally exhausted, she was still a Vampire.

Spinning to avoid Cyrus's attack, she turned back and shoved him across the room, where he hit the wall and groaned in pain. Bubblegum just stood and watched, until Marceline growled at her. As if on cue, Bubblegum ran to the table that carried Finn and hoisted him onto her back, Fireman style. Then she walked towards the exit, sagging under his weight. "_I thought he would weigh more,_" she thought to herself. "_After all he is seventeen and dead weight is heavier than normal weight._" With that thought in her mind, she walked out of the room, and Marceline was left to fend off Cyrus.

**You know what my favorite part of being an author is? I can do whatever I want with reality!**


	8. Reclamation

Chapter Eight: Reclamation

When Cyrus turned back Bubblegum was just entering the hallway, and Marceline was directly in his path. He growled in frustration, hitting himself in the head. He looked up to see Marceline lowering herself into a fighting position, and he stared at her with hatred. "_Why is this bitch so resilient?!_" he thought. Then, blind with anger, Cyrus sprang up and bolted toward Marceline.

Instead of attempting to dodge, possibly giving him the chance to slip past her, Marceline decided to take Cyrus head-on. She bent her knees down and turned her feet outwards to provide better balance. Then she lowered her head, keeping her gaze on Cyrus as he charged on. All this happened within a split second, and Cyrus had no way of stopping once he realized what was happening because he had already covered the short distance between them. Marceline shuddered as she took the blow of his blow, but she held firm. Before Cyrus could recover she grappled his back and threw him to the ground. Before she could land a blow however, he threw her off and she stuttered backwards for a few steps. Taking advantage of this opportunity to catch her off guard, Cyrus got up as quickly as he could and pulled out his wand.

"_Shit!_" thought Marceline, "_I forgot about his wand!_" Realizing she was off guard, she let herself fall down to the floor just in time to see a flash of fire fly above her, searing her face. She hissed with her tongue out like a snake, then started to transform into a large bat monster. Cyrus shrank away as Marceline grew to fill half the room. The half of the room that the door was in.

Cyrus started to panic, wracking his mind to come up with a plausible escape plan. Only one idea came to his mind, and he didn't like it one bit. "_I guess it's my only chance._" He thought. Steeling himself, he yelled at the Vampire Queen, "You think you scare me you whore?! I am the most powerful wizard in the land of Ooo!" and then his lips curled into a smile as he saw that his plan had worked.

Marceline's blood was boiling with the anger she was exhibiting, and out of her anger she swung down to knock Cyrus out. But he was expecting this, and he fluidly dove under her fist and rolled between her legs. Before she could turn around he sprinted towards the hallway and didn't look back.

Marceline didn't have to be furious with her self for falling subject to Cyrus's derision; she knew she had to get moving quickly otherwise Cyrus would catch up to Bubblegum and Finn. Transforming back into her Vampire self, she started sprinting towards the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her. She could smell Cyrus's trail, so finding him wouldn't be a problem. "_But if he catches up with Bonnie…_" she shut the thought out of her mind and flew through the doorway at breakneck speed.

As she reached the corner she noticed that the lights were at full strength, providing a vast contrast to the dimly lit laboratory. She continued on through the halls, following Cyrus's trail effortlessly. The smell was getting stronger, but another smell was cutting through it. "_Burnt sugar?_" she thought to herself as she ran. When she turned the next corner, what she saw stopped her in her tracks. There, stuck to the wall, were the dripping remains of what looked to be a giant Peppermint. "No…" she said weakly, and then fell to her knees. A small red tie fell from the figure, and she had no doubt that the dead candy person on the wall was Peppermint Butler.

Her anger resurfacing through her shock, she yelled "No!" and then set off sprinting even faster than before, following the strengthening smell of Cyrus's fear. She was getting close and Cyrus knew it. It was only a matter of time before she caught up and sank her teeth into that damned wizard's neck. Marceline rounded three more corners before she heard Bubblegum's muffled grunting. When she rounded the final corner, she lost all hope. There he was, holding Bubblegum and pointing his wand at her temple. Finn lay on the floor, unmoving as before. Marceline stopped and stared at Cyrus, whose eyes had gained red tinged edges.

"So nice of you to stop by Marceline." Cyrus said cruelly. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show, but then you had to didn't you." He then threw Bubblegum against the wall, knocking her out cold. Marceline gasped and went to grab her, but Cyrus raised his wand towards Marceline. "No no no, don't you move now, or else I'll just have to kill your little boyfriend here." Cyrus kicked Finn in the ribs and Marceline heard a barely audible moan escape his lips.

Marceline stood too shocked to move, and simply muttered "He's alive?"

Cyrus chuckled, and then said "Of course he's alive. Finn is the last human; I couldn't kill him without making sure his race continued now could I?" his smile grew wider, and Marceline recognized the insanity that he exuded. _"He's mad…_" she thought, and then she stood to her full height to look Cyrus in the eyes.

"No, I guess you're right. Though I'm not sure if you realize this, but I am technically a human. I mean, I'm a vampire, but I was human before that. If I had a child it would be a human, not a Vampire." she said, hoping to appease Cyrus long enough to kill him. She actually didn't know if a child birthed from a Vampire would be normal or not, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was trick Cyrus.

Cyrus looked excited, and Marceline knew he believed her. "Really?" he said breathlessly. "Well then we need to get started! I'll wake Finn up, and you two can stay in the dungeon until a child is born. Although I don't know much about human reproduction, so I'll have to give at least a full year for the embryonic development. And even then, how will we keep it alive and well?" Cyrus said, turning and walking away as he continued to mutter to himself.

Taking advantage of his momentary lapse of focus, Marceline silently scooped up Finn and then Bubblegum and placed them both on her back. She then floated down the hallway and rounded the corner. She scanned the walls ahead of her to find a door, but she saw no rooms. The only thing visible was a thin seam in the shape of an arch on her left. She floated over to it and laid her load down on the floor. Then she pushed in the center of the outlined shape, and stood back as she heard the _whoosh _of air escape into the hall. It smelled like mold and dust, mixed with gas smoke and several other interesting things. The arch swung completely open of its own accord, revealing a foot thick door that led into a pitch black room.

Marceline quickly picked both Finn and Bubblegum up and hurried into the room, laying them on the floor and closing the archway before searching for a light switch. Her hand swept across the wall on the left of the door, and almost immediately she found a rather large breaker. "_I guess not even Cyrus knows about this room, because he would have replaced the electricity with werelights like the rest of the Candy Kingdom._" she thought, smirking. She flipped the breaker upwards and the room lit up extremely quickly, blinding Marceline for a few seconds. After her vision adjusted, she scanned the vicinity for somewhere to lay Finn and Bubblegum. The room was quite small, around one hundred square feet, but it was cluttered with all sorts of equipment and supplies. The walls were a bright white, along with the floor and ceiling, and they were completely bare. There was only one way in or out. There were two tables in the room, and they occupied most of the available space. The clutter on the tables ranged from alembics to retorts, from Bunsen burners to test tubes. There was a multitude of bottles and containers which held a variety of chemicals and compounds. Glassware was abundant, and most of the glasses were filled with strangely colored liquids. On the far wall, an open cabinet revealed a large selection of safety equipment.

Marceline spotted a place on the right table that seemed relatively clear, and so she picked up Finn and carried him over to the floor beneath it. She then cleared off what she thought would be a good size for him and transferred him softly from the floor to the table top. Then she went back for Bubblegum, picking her up easily and laying her on the floor below Finn's spot on the table. Content, Marceline floated until she was above Finn, and then she pressed her ear to his chest. _Lub dub… Lub dub..._ The constant thump of his heartbeat made all of her fear and frustration melt away, and she slowly lowered herself completely onto his frame, taking pleasure in the feeling of his body heat creeping into her blood.

She sat there for what seemed like hours, but which was only less than a minute. All of a sudden, the loud sound of stomping outside the access to the room ripped the happiness from her heart. Marceline lay still, hoping that Cyrus didn't realize anyone was in the room. But the steady sound of stomping stopped abruptly, and then it was replaced by a stream of knocking on the door. Her heart jumped up in her throat, and she swallowed it back down and rolled off of Finn. He stirred weakly and furled his brow, but he made no effort to say anything or open his eyes. Marceline placed a light kiss on his lips and turned toward the door. The knocking had ceased, but she could FEEL a presence outside.

Marceline thought as hard as she could, trying to think of how she could use her surroundings to defeat Cyrus before he knew what was coming. "_Damn you Bubblegum, if you weren't unconscious you would think of a way out of this…_" she thought to herself angrily.

The knocking returned after a minute, more persistently than before. "_How does he even know we're in here?_" she mused.

With that, the door began to swing open, and Marceline remembered that she hadn't even locked it behind her. She lowered herself into a combative crouch and prepared to jump at a moment's notice. But what she saw when the door was completely opened made her fall to her knees.

"Need some help?" she said with a wink.

"What?" Marceline said, glancing over to discover Bubblegum's unconscious form under the table, and looking back to find… Bubblegum, standing in the doorway.

The Bubblegum in the doorway said, "I guess I owe you an explanation don't I?" then she walked in and closed the door behind her, making sure to lock the deadbolt.


	9. Developments

**Sorry I missed the deadline yesterday! I stayed up until midnight trying to crap this out, but I only got half done. So here you are, albeit late. Also, I'll try to finish another chapter by today, to compensate for your troubles. But no promises. )**

Chapter Nine: Developments

Marceline continued to stare, dumbstruck by this new development. Bubblegum is both standing by the door and lying under the table. "Damn right you owe me an explanation." she said.

Bubblegum chuckled from her position near the door and walked over to the Bubblegum on the floor. She turned the body over and swept the bubblegum hair on her neck upwards, revealing a bold red number on the back of the floor Bubblegum's neck. "Three… you mean there are more of you?" Marceline said stupidly.

Bubblegum chuckled, and replied "No silly, there's only me and her." Letting the hair fall back down, she continued. "You see, three years ago, I began trying to discover a way to clone myself, so that I would have more time for my work." she said, then sat down on part of the area of the table that had been cleared by Marceline. "I tried everything I could think of; I began by experimenting on small, artificial candy animals, and eventually tested the serums on myself." she said, and then looked down and rubbed the smooth table top. Then she explained further. "I built this room myself you know. I needed a place to experiment privately, as well as somewhere I could work while my clone was busy." She sighed, and walked over to the end of the adjacent table, where a few large bags were lying on the floor. She zipped one slightly open, and then closed it again. "The first two compounds I designed worked phenomenally… for the first hour of their application. The way I intended for the process to work was quite simple: I add a sample of my DNA to the mixture, and then it solidifies and grows into an exact replica of me. Both of the first two tries did exactly that, conforming precisely to my calculations. But both also failed to develop healthy brains, and therefore they could not perform any cognitive functions. They died within minutes due to their inability to, well, do anything." she laughed heartily, and Marceline smirked too. "But the third, the third was special. I devised a more thorough, and adversely much more complicated, method to create a completely functional copy of myself. I took samples of every organ in my body, and grew them each separately. Then, when they were almost full grown, I assembled what you now see lying under Finn."

Marceline thought about what Bubblegum had just told her, and there was one thing that kept nagging at her mind. She stood to her full height and stepped over to the table to sit next to where Bubblegum had been sitting, then asked "How did you keep this a secret from Cyrus? Surely he would have stopped you from doing this, right?"

Bubblegum stared at her dumbly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Marceline, I began this project three years ago. I succeeded a full year before Cyrus came along. I sent my clone to talk to the Grandmaster Wizard. She fell for Cyrus's spell, not me."

Marceline thought it over and deduced that Bubblegum was indeed telling the truth. "I guess that makes sense." she said. "So how have you hidden from him all this time?" she asked.

"Simple," she replied, "Cyrus was clueless that the woman he tricked wasn't the real Bubblegum, so one day I snuck her away and wiped her memory of being a clone. She thought she was the only Bubblegum and she had no knowledge of my existence. So I could sneak around at night and do what I liked. The security here is terrible, so I've never been caught. Not even by Peppermint." After mentioning her deceased servant, her expression turned to one of sadness.

Marceline could tell that Bubblegum was depressed over his death, so she said "Peppermint Butler was a great servant. He played his part, and now the only thing we can do is avenge him by getting rid of Cyrus. Permanently." she said the last word angrily, her face turning dark. "He deserves it for manipulating you, and hurting Finn." on hearing herself say Finn's name, her anger softened a little and she ran her fingers through his golden hair. "_He looks so funny when he's asleep…_" she thought to herself.

Marceline realized that she hadn't even been paying attention to what Finn was wearing, let alone what condition he was in. He wore his usual outfit of a custom tailored blue shirt and pants, but he was basically swimming in them, for he was heavily malnourished and was suffering from muscle atrophy. He was covered in large bruises and small cuts and scrapes. His breathing was sparse and ragged; his chest swelled and sank at random intervals with no rhythm. His hat was missing, though Marceline couldn't remember if he ever took it back, or if it was still at their house. "_Our house…_" Marceline loved the thought of sharing a home with someone she loved, after so long of being alone. "_Actually, I don't think he ever put that hat back on once he took it off of me that night… How long has it been since then?_"

Wondering how Finn's condition could have degraded this badly, Marceline said to Bubblegum, "Bonnie, how long has Cyrus kept us here?"

Bubblegum looked over to Marceline, who was now watching her intently. She sighed, knowing that the answer might upset her, but she gave in and elaborated. "You've both been here for quite awhile. You've taken not eating quite well, but perhaps that is because you were asleep for three days. Finn, however, was awake and not being fed for the whole time you've been here. His body is sensitive right now, which explains all the bruises and cuts."

Marceline looked down to Finn again, and removed her hand from his hair. "So we were here for three days before I woke up, but then how long after that?" she asked.

"Two days." Bubblegum said softly.

Marceline grew an astonished expression and yelled "Finn hasn't eaten for almost six days?!"

Bubblegum could sense Marceline's distress, and attempted to calm her down by saying "There is a lot of candy biomass in here; if we wake him up we can feed him some."

"Then let's get him up!" Marceline said anxiously.

"Alright, alright, but we have to do it slowly; moving him around any more could be dangerous." Bubblegum said, and then walked over to the spot that Finn was at. She picked up the unconscious Bubblegum from the floor beneath him by the collar of her dress and dragged her over beside the large bags at the end of the other table. Then she walked back to Marceline and said, "Alright, I need you to lift his head, slowly and carefully, until he is in a sitting position." She complied, placing both of her hands under his head and slowly lifting it while Bubblegum wrapped her arms around his torso and gently pulled his body upwards.

Finn groaned in discomfort, and Marceline slowed a little. Bubblegum saw her do this, and compensated by slowing her own pulling. When they finally got him upright, Bubblegum calmly swung his legs over the edge of the tale while still holding his body up. "Marceline, I need you to hold him up for a few seconds, okay?"

Marceline replied y nodding and placed when hand on Finn's back to support both his head and his upper body. Bubblegum nodded back, and released her grip on Finn to quickly walk across the gap between the tables and stop at the opposite side. Then she wedged her finger under a slightly discolored tile and hefted it upwards, the tile swinging on hidden hinges. As the tile swung open, some mechanism lifted a chair from the recesses of the hidden space. When the trapdoor lay completely flat against the adjacent tile, the chair was fully exposed in the center of the two tables. It was a small, polished wooden chair, and it had a small red cushion on the seat.

Bubblegum picked it up easily and placed it sideways below Finn. Then she signaled to Marceline to begin lowering him onto the cushion. She complied, and as she smoothly lifted him off of the table by his armpits, Bubblegum subtly guided his body down. When Finn's full weight was on the chair, they turned him so he could rest on the seatback, and then they both released their holds on him. He slumped down, nearly falling off of his seat, but Marceline caught him before he could.

"So how do we wake him up?" Marceline asked.

"Very carefully…" Bubblegum replied as she walked away and picked up a small vial that contained a viscous yellow liquid, returning with it in hand.

Marceline looked suspicious, and she stepped in front of Finn, saying "What's in there?"

Bubblegum chuckled at how defensively Marceline was acting, and smiled as she said "I call this wake-up juice. It's a small amount of epinephrine, some concentrated caffeine… annnd a little bit of Cannabinoid, to keep heart rate in check."

"So is it safe for him to drink that?" Marceline asked, still scared for Finn's safety.

"Completely: I developed this for when I get tired. This will get him up and keep him up for hours." she said happily.

"You better be right…" Marceline said as she stepped aside for Bubblegum to pass. Once she did, Marceline walked to Finn's side and held his hand, while Bubblegum opened his mouth and poured the entire vial down his throat.

He coughed violently and a little bit of the contents spewed out from his mouth, spattering Bubblegum's face. But she merely stood and let it spray her, and then she continued to pour down his throat. When the entire mixture was inside Finn, she backed up and watched him intently. Marceline just kept holding his hand, hoping he would be okay when he woke up.

For a few seconds nothing happened, and Marceline began to worry. But then Finn's head suddenly lurched forward and he released a long, drawn out moan. When it was finally over, he let his body slowly relax into the chair. His pupils were completely dilated and he shivered and twitched violently. Then he looked up at Marceline and drew her face towards his, until she could feel his excited breathing on her ear. He whispered, "Miss me?" then lightly bit her neck and released her. Bubblegum stared on as if this was the most normal thing in the world and watched as Finn squeezed Marceline's hand to tell her to let go, and continued to watch as he quickly jumped upwards out of the chair and landed surprisingly solidly on the floor in front of him.

"_Definitely awake._" Bubblegum thought to herself, silently giggling.


	10. Escape

**To my readers- **

**I am truly sorry for making you wait so long for another chapter to be uploaded. I don't have any excuse; I merely procrastinated until today. I had about half a chapter completed, and I just finished it. So here it is, long overdue. I must tell you all, however, that I will be rescinding my promise to update daily, and rather I will do a content dump every week. **

**Sorry- Josh**

Chapter Ten: Escape

Marceline smiled as she saw that Finn was doing alright. She rubbed her neck where he had bitten it, and shivered as her hand brushed past her bite marks. "_I guess I'll never really get over the fact that I'm not truly alive…_" she thought sadly. She kept smiling though, and she watched as Finn looked over towards Bubblegum.

His muscles tensed, and he sidestepped to place himself between Marceline and the woman whom he thought to be his captor.

Marceline remembered that he had no idea what was going on, so she spoke as soothingly as she could, saying, "Finn, calm down. The Bubblegum that hurt you was a clone, one that was madly in love with Cyrus. He is the cause of all of this. But that is Bonnie."

Finn quickly looked back towards her and relaxed as he saw the sure but soft expression that Marceline bore. He glanced at Bubblegum, but then returned to Marceline. He walked over to her, rested his forehead atop her scalp, and wrapped his arms around her lower back. She wrapped her long arms around him in return. Pulling her in close, he nibbled her ear lobe.

She didn't resist, but when he pulled away Marceline asked quietly, "What's with all this weird stuff you're doing? First my neck, now my ear?"

Finn shrugged, still holding her, and replied, "Just seems right. I don't know."

Suddenly Bubblegum cleared her throat. Both Finn and Marceline quickly looked over towards her, and, getting their attention, she stated, "We woke Finn up for a reason, remember?"

Marceline released Finn and replied, "Yes. Yes we did. Finn, come on. You need to eat." She held out her hand and he gladly took it, letting her lead him to Bubblegum for nourishment. When they reached her, she held out her hand, which held five candy eggs. They were each about an inch long, a quarter of an inch wide at the small end, and half an inch wide at the large end. There was a variety of fun colors and designs, with pinks and blues and stripes and polka-dots and more. "Now don't eat these too quickly Finn, because they swell in your stomach. I packed all the nutrients you need into them, and they expand just to make you feel satisfied."

Finn, just realizing how hungry he was, grabbed the small things from her hand and quickly said "Thanks PB," then he began veraciously devouring one of the eggs. Bubblegum backed off a few feet to give him space.

"Slow down!" Bubblegum said, just as Finn was about to begin attacking his second egg.

He looked at her morosely, but he listened and set out to eat the rest of the eggs.

Bubblegum and Marceline merely watched him eat quietly, until Marceline's stomach broke the silence. It growled loudly, expressing its disapproval of not eating for almost six days.

Both Bubblegum and Finn looked up at the sudden noise, and Marceline said embarrassedly, "You wouldn't happen to have anything red, would you Bonnie?"

Bubblegum laughed, then looked around and shrugged. "Not anything safe."

Marceline looked down at her stomach. "Alright, I guess I can wait. So what's our plan for getting out of here anyways?"

"Simple," said Bubblegum, "There is an escape tunnel built into this room that leads directly from here to a hidden spot in the forest."

Marceline looked at her with a look on her face that just screamed "_Really?_" and then looked over to Finn and said, "Hurry up Finn. If I get any hungrier I just might eat you." then she winked at him and he began to tear apart his last egg with greater speed than before. She chuckled, and walked away to the chair to sit down. Bubblegum walked over to sit down next to the chair, and also next to her clone. She began to mess with the clone's head, but Marceline was too busy watching Finn to notice.

She watched as he finished his last bit of food, and then Bubblegum got up out of nowhere, walked back over and handed him a large blue glass filled halfway with a liquid of indeterminable color. "Drink this," she said.

"What is it?" Finn asked.

Bubblegum sighed, and replied "It's water you dum-dum. Now drink it."

Finn swigged the water deeply, coughing a little as it went down his throat which he now knew to be extremely dry. He went to take another drink but stopped when he felt another fit of coughs coming on. It did come, and he coughed violently for a few seconds, spewing spittle and lurching.

Marceline and Bubblegum both looked alarmed by this, but when he stopped Marceline merely asked, "Are you okay?"

Finn looked a little woozy, but he replied calmly and in an even tone, "Yeah. I'm fine, thanks." He forced a light smile for Marceline, and then set out to finish the drink, though with much smaller gulps.

When finally he finished, Bubblegum said casually, "So I think we should get out of here now. Cyrus is still here after all."

Marceline and Finn nodded, then, realizing what that meant, Finn said in a whisper, "So wait, how did you even get in here with him snooping around in the castle?"

Bubblegum looked at him frustrated and said, "I'll explain everything once we're out of here. We can talk at your house Finn."

Finn looked at her suspiciously but didn't object, and said, "Alright. The sooner we get out of here the better."

With that, Bubblegum turned around and walked to the end of the room opposite the door and stomped on the center tile. It sprung upwards and opened violently, stopping less than a centimeter away from hitting the wall behind it. She swept her hand towards her, ushering Finn and Marceline towards the exit. Marceline, however, hung back and said "What about your clone?"

Bubblegum looked at her confusedly, and then remembered something. "I forgot to tell you didn't I?" she said. "How silly of me; I overloaded her brain while Finn was eating. She's dead." She smiled sheepishly and then swept her hand at the trapdoor again.

Marceline stared at her as if she was crazy. "Isn't that kind of unethical?" she said worriedly.

Bubblegum looked at her in disbelief, as if her words had been meant to detriment Bubblegum's ability to make decisions. She sighed angrily, and then said "No, it's completely ethical. I created her, from me, so I reserved the right to get rid of her." She started getting frustrated, and vexed she said, "We don't have time for this. Come on." Then she swept her hand towards the trapdoor with emphasis and Marceline grudgingly obeyed, slipping through the hole into a nearly pitch black corridor. Bubblegum followed behind her, shutting the door by pulling on a rope in the hallway. When the door had been shut, all but Marceline were blind in the darkness.

Finn shouted from somewhere ahead, "Who turned out the lights?"

In response, bright fluorescent headlamps flickered to life above the three, temporarily blinding them all. When Bubblegum's eyes recovered, she saw that Marceline was standing next to the breaker that had turned on the lights. "Thanks." said Bubblegum.

"No probs Peebubs." said Marceline.

"Let's go guys." said Finn from further away.

'Wait up!" Marceline and Bubblegum yelled in unison. They looked at each other, laughed, and then set off running through the now lit corridor. When they turned a corner a few seconds later, they saw Finn standing still looking in their direction. When he saw them running towards him, he turned around and began running also, obviously trying to mess with the girls. What he didn't account for, however, was that Marceline surpassed him in every way, and soon he was struggling to keep up with her easy jogging.

For several minutes, they ran in silence. Then out of nowhere they came to a dead-end. Bubblegum took a few seconds to catch up, and when she did she said, "Alright, this is the outlet into the forest." Then she kicked the center of the wall and the hall was flooded with natural light streaming in from a hole in the roof.

Marceline looked at Bubblegum, and then said "You sure like kicking stuff don't you P.B.?"

Finn chuckled, and Bubblegum looked back at them both, saying, "Kicking stuff is my thang." Then she eyed both her companions and they laughed at the seriousness of her expression. Bubblegum then laughed also, and they all shared in this moment of joy. But soon it was over, and Bubblegum was ushering the two to climb up and out of the hole in the roof.

The first one out was Finn, followed by Marceline and finally Bubblegum. When she came to the surface, Bubblegum shut the trapdoor that was lying on the ground and all three saw that it blended in perfectly with its surroundings. The only thing that gave away anything about this location was that it was under the largest tree in a small grotto. The Candy Kingdom splayed itself across their view from miles away, and Bubblegum couldn't help but feel awestruck by the beauty of her prosperous kingdom.

But their fascination was short lived, for out of the surrounding trees burst five banana guards. And along with this clumsy security force was the one person with whom they were all dreading a confrontation.

"Hello their, Finn, Marceline, and hello _Princess_ Bubblegum." He said evilly, smiling with a satisfied grin.

Finn and Bubblegum stood shocked, but Marceline jumped forwards and tackled the man to the ground, hissing viciously and baring her fangs at Cyrus's face.

"This is where you die!" She screamed.

Cyrus, not phased in the slightest, said coolly, "No, my dear Marceline. This is where YOU die."

And then everything went dark.


	11. Revenge

**Okay guys, I'm becoming the kind of person that I hate with this posting crap. Screw the weekly dump, I'm just going to update when I have something to post. Enjoy this next installation of Marceline's Regrets! (I really should have come up with a better name...)**

Chapter Eleven: Revenge

When she came to, Marceline had no idea where she could possibly be. She was lying on the outer edge of a grove, and it was the middle of the night. She tried in vain to remember the events that had brought her to this strange place. But the sound of a familiar voice yelling "Marceline!" brought her memory back with painful speed.

"_Finn?!_" she thought suddenly. She lurched up rather quickly and her head screamed with pain in response. Dots of sharp light swam across her vision and she lifted her hand to feel her throbbing temple. What she found didn't surprise her: a rather large lump had arisen on her forehead, presumably from whatever Cyrus had done to incapacitate her. Another yell of fury, however, yanked Marceline from her thoughts and into the real world. She looked up further with her impaired vision and saw Finn lunging towards Cyrus, unarmed, and without reservation.

Bubblegum was standing off to the side, taking on the five banana guards at once. They were no match for her hand-to-hand combat skills, and she was obviously just trying not to hurt them while keeping them out of Finn's way.

Marceline watched in alarm as Cyrus knocked Finn aside as if he was a rag doll, and winced as she saw him hit the ground with not much grace. The look on Finn's face was one of agony, but one glance at Marceline had him up and lunging again, only to get thrown backwards by Cyrus.

Marceline was getting angry watching Finn stupidly throw himself at Cyrus, so she made an effort to stand up so she could intervene. But on her attempt to rise, a fresh wave of unbearable pain shot through her head and nearly made her lose consciousness. She fell back down to the ground in a heap, breathing heavily as her temple throbbed from the immense discomfort. "_Damn you Cyrus, you will not hurt Finn!_" Summoning all the strength she could muster, she forced herself upwards, screaming quietly as more and more pain washed over her weak body. When she finally reached her full height she let out a long breath and her eyes widened as she wallowed in the agony that was flooding her mind, threatening to make her head explode. She gasped in short breaths and let them out long and slowly. As she tried to get a grip on controlling her body, she watched Finn fall to the floor over and over again, each time taking longer to get up and launch an attack.

Marceline couldn't bear to watch Finn purposely put himself at risk with no hope of success, but she also couldn't do anything to help him in this state. She may heal quickly, but by the time she was in a proper state to fight, Finn would be dead and Cyrus would already be attacking her. She tried to think of some way to get in a cheap shot on Cyrus, but nothing came to mind. She got more and more frustrated as she stood on the sidelines uselessly watching, until Finn got knocked back and didn't get back up. She waited for a few seconds, and after he still didn't move, she saw Cyrus move in towards him. He was still alive, that much was for sure. His chest was heaving heavily and his hand was twitching a little. Upon reaching Finn's body, Cyrus loosed a sharp kick into his ribs, and Finn moaned, then coughed a little. A little bit of blood spewed from Finn's mouth as he coughed, but that was enough.

Marceline let out a loud growl of pure rage, and ignoring the crippling pain emanating from her forehead, she sprinted towards the man who had been causing Finn so much pain. Cyrus was too caught off guard to react before her fist connected with his jaw, inciting a loud crack as his lower jaw disconnected from the upper.

A guttural cry emanated from the depths of Cyrus's throat, and his mouth hung agape and swung loosely as he fumbled backwards from the recoil of the powerful blow. Marceline wasn't doing too much better, however. The pain was now too overwhelming to ignore, and she collapsed again, not able to keep herself upright. She slipped into a state of semi-consciousness, only barely noticing Cyrus stumble over to where Finn laid, tired and beaten.

A soft, inaudible "No…" escaped her lips as she weakly tried to raise her arm. She got it about an inch above the ground before a pang of pure agony erupted from her hand. She let it fall and kept watching Cyrus as he pulled out his wand from its holster and took aim at Finn. He was about to perform an incantation, but as he began to speak he let out a horrible shout as pain gripped his entire jaw. The wand dropped from his hand and he fell to his knees, dropping his head downwards and resting his weight in his hands. He breathed heavily and his body shuddered.

Finn knew an opportunity when he saw one. Cyrus was incapacitated and Finn still had the energy to make one more move. But he had to plan it properly. "_What do I have to work with here?_" he thought as he scanned his surroundings for anything that could be used to defeat Cyrus. His eyes fell upon Cyrus's wand, and suddenly, Finn knew exactly what he had to do. But it wasn't going to be pretty.

He reached for the wand, and Cyrus just stayed where he was, too weak to even lift his head. Grasping the wand powerfully, Finn shuddered upward slowly, wincing at his smarting wounds. When finally he was in a seated position, he placed his hands on the floor and hoisted himself up, coming to a rest on his knees. Then, with a great deal of struggle, he managed to stand all the way up. He staggered a little as he came to his full height, but he stood strong and caught his breath.

From Marceline's view, Finn looked more powerful and determined than ever. He had a look of confidence on his face, and his stance was rigid despite the amount of fatigue he must have been experiencing. She had no idea what Finn was planning, nor did she see that Finn held the pointed wand tightly in his hand. So naturally, what Marceline saw next sent a chill down her spine that seeped into her bloodstream and infected her entire being.

Finn stepped forward, raised the wand above his head while reaching with his other hand to grip it. He said robustly "This is for torturing me, for starving me, and for giving me reason to worry for Marceline." He looked over to where Marceline was lying, weak and hurt, her hair disheveled and her clothes torn. He continued, with even more strength than before. "But more importantly, this is for starving Marceline, and for putting her through the agony of thinking I was dead. That, I will never forgive you for."

As he finished, he finally looked back from Marceline sadly, turning to face Cyrus. His eyes began to water, and as they welled up a stream of tears flowed from his right eye, but he paid no heed to it. He merely swung his arms downwards with all his remaining strength, and gasped as he felt the tip of the wand pierce the back of Cyrus's skull. Finn fell to his knees and began to sob with full intensity. Cyrus just crumpled, his arms folding beneath him as his weight fell to the ground, and his head thudded as it too met the cold, unforgiving Earth.

Finn turned away, still sobbing, and inched his way over to Marceline, upon reaching her, he stretched out next to her tortured frame and stared into her beautiful violet eyes. They were only half open, but he could feel the torrent of empathy wordlessly flowing through their gaze as she too peered gladly into his bright blue eyes. Their troubles finally over, Marceline lost consciousness and Finn fell asleep.


	12. Vampirism

**Yayyy new chapter!**

Chapter Twelve: Vampirism

When Marceline awoke, she found that she was in her bed with Finn lying next to her, sound asleep. Bubblegum was also there, asleep in a chair she had presumably brought upstairs from the kitchen. Marceline took in a deep breath through her nose, letting it out softly through her mouth. She turned back to Finn, and couldn't help thinking how cute he looked when he slept. She kissed him lightly on the mouth, then turned over and scooted backwards into his warm body. As if his sleeping mind knew what was going on, he draped his arm over Marceline and she scooted even closer to him, loving the feeling of his breath on the back of her neck. She smiled softly, and then fell asleep in his comforting embrace.

**These transitions are so creative:**

The sun was just rising when Finn woke up to find that he was back with Marceline in their house again. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked around the room and saw the chair sitting by the other side of the bed, and wondered why it was there. However, he didn't really care, so he got all the way up and walked over to the bathroom, turned on the sink, and splashed his face with cold water. He rubbed his chin and frowned as he felt he rough stubble that had accumulated from not shaving for nearly a week. He looked around the bathroom and oddly enough found a box of reusable razors. "_That's weird,_" Finn thought, "_What could Marceline possibly need to shave?_"

He pulled one of the razors out of the box and wet it a little, then searched around for some kind of cream. Sure enough, he found a clear jar that said "Shaving Cream" in crude writing, and it contained white foam that smelled of mint. He quickly spread some on his face and trimmed the stubble from his chin, then thoroughly rinsed the rest away. He removed the hair from the razor, dried it, and put it back in the box. He then walked back out to the bed and found that Marceline was just waking up, so he quietly knelt down in front of her and said, "Good morning Marcie", then turned his head sideways and kissed her on the lips. She opened her eyes and smiled as she saw the stupid grin on his face.

"Mmmm, you smell good Finn. Like, mint?" she said, then her face turned to one of disgust as she saw that his face was free of hair. "Finn, you didn't, like, use any of my razors did you?" she said in distress.

Finn looked at her confusedly, and replied, "Well yeah, I did. Why?"

Marceline sat up and gagged a little, then looked at Finn again and almost threw up. She tried to calm herself down, and when she felt even enough, she said, "Finn, I shave something… personal, with those razors. And you just used one to shave your face."

Finn still looked confused, and he merely said, "What do you mean?"

Marceline could see that he really didn't know what she meant, so she tried to elaborate in a way that even Finn, with his innocent heroicness, would understand. "Listen, Finn. I obviously don't shave my face, right?" she paused, and Finn nodded in agreement, so she continued. "And there are only so many places that need shaving other than my face. Like my legs, my arms, and my armpits, right?" Still following, but not knowing where she was going with this list of things she shaves, Finn nodded again. "So there is really only one more place that I could possibly shave, and it is a private place that should only be discussed with certain people."

Finn just stared at her stupidly, and she couldn't help but smile at his cluelessness. She put on her best playful stern face, and said to him "Just don't use my razors, okay. We'll go get you your own some time today. Also, let's never talk about this again."

Finn chuckled at her valiant attempt to look strict, then spontaneously jumped up and yelled, "Race you to the kitchen!" before bolting off towards the ladder. Marceline looked surprised at first, but then she softened and just sat there, giving Finn a little sliver of hope that he would win. When he finally reached the ladder, Marceline jumped up as quickly as she could and bolted towards him. She reached it before Finn had taken a step more, and by the time he was down the ladder, she was sitting at the table with Bubblegum.

Finn stared at them both in disbelief, and they both just laughed at his confusion. Marceline was the one to say something, and she said "Finn, you silly little boy. I am a Vampire. Nobody can compete with a Vampire." Then she winked at him and pointed towards the kitchen counter. He looked to where she was pointing and saw a large spread of delicious looking food that he guessed was for him. "Wow Peebles… did you make this all by yourself? Or did Jake help you?" Finn said, and he and Marceline chuckled at the little inside joke. Bubblegum just looked between them both and said, "I assure you, I made this all myself."

Marceline and Finn just laughed even harder, and Bubblegum looked hurt, so when they were finally finished laughing Finn said "Sorry Bubblegum, it was an inside joke. Marceline had Jake make bacon pancakes for me this one time and she said she made them."

Bubblegum's expression softened, and after a few seconds she said, "So are you going to eat now Finn?"

Finn looked back towards the delicious banquet and yelled "Hell yeah!" before jumping the distance and tearing into the first thing he saw, which happened to be pancakes.

Bubblegum stared at Finn, shocked, and looked over to Marceline for confirmation. She just looked back at her as if she was a crazy person, so Bubblegum said, "Did Finn just _cuss_?"

Marceline just snickered and said, "Well yeah. He's seventeen you know."

Finn interjected suddenly, saying, "Actually, what is today?"

Bubblegum looked over towards him and said "March tenth I think."

Finn looked shocked, and said in amazement, "Really?"

Marceline confirmed by walking up to the random magical calendar that was just randomly on the random wall magically and for no other reason than random magicness. "Well according to my random magical calendar, it is indeed the tenth of March."

Finn shook his head in disbelief, and said hurriedly, "Tomorrow is my birthday. I turn eighteen tomorrow." He let himself sink down to the floor and put his face in his hands. "Two days later and I wouldn't have been a kid when I killed Cyrus." He shuddered a little at the thought of Cyrus's cold, lifeless body and then started sniveling quietly.

Marceline floated over to where he sat on the floor and lowered herself beside him. She wrapped her arm around him and said quietly, "Finn, two more days and you would not be alive. Two more days and we would not be together. Two more days, and we wouldn't get to celebrate your most important birthday together." She kissed the top of his head, and pulled him in for a tight hug. She took a deep breath, taking in the smell of his body. He relinquished his hold on his face to turn and hug her back, and in his lapse of defense, Marceline picked him up and floated him over to the coach. She laid him down before he could even figure out what was going on, and then she began kissing him ferociously.

He still didn't know what was going on, but he liked whatever it was, so he began trying to match her intensity. However, before he could get in a good kiss, she began nibbling the right side of his neck. He shivered as an intense rush of pleasure shot though his neck and flooded his entire body, rendering him motionless in euphoria. For several seconds Finn knew nothing but the overwhelming ecstasy, but then he heard someone scream. It seemed distant, quiet, but Finn could sense the urgency in the sound. He opened his eyes as far as he could and saw Marceline still at his neck, but he could tell she wasn't kissing him anymore. It felt as if she was latched onto his neck and she was not going to let go any time soon.

Finn began to become more distressed as the scream grew louder and he felt his body growing weaker by the second. He managed to let out "Marcie…" before he slipped into unconsciousness with Marceline still on top of him.

**Transition! ;)**

Finn had been waking up in many different places lately. This time was no different: he woke up alone in the bed of his tree house. He was wrapped haphazardly in his animal skin blankets, and his body was sore. He felt as if he had been thrown around for hours on end. He attempted to sit up, and as he did so, a pang of pain shot from his neck and his hand instinctually went up to it. What he found was rather surprising, and at the same time it made him kind of… happy. "_I couldn't be… She wouldn't…_"

On his neck were two small bumps, almost an inch apart. He knew what they were, and now he knew why he felt weak. And it didn't scare him one bit. To confirm, he moved his hand from his neck to his mouth, where he felt for his normal, human canine teeth. Instead, he found two extremely sharp fangs. Delighted, Finn jumped out of bed, inciting another shot of pain from his neck, and to his astonishment he was left floating in the area between the ladder and his bed. Even more astonishing, however, was the fact that he had no clothes on. He blushed heavily, but then, realizing no one else was in the room with him, he started air-swimming around the room. He searched for clothes but to no avail.

Defeated, he began toying with his fangs. They were as sharp as knives and as thin as needles at their point, but they were shorter than he would have thought. He flitted around the room naked as he tried duplicating things he had seen Marceline doing before. However, he only succeeded in making himself look stupid, because Marceline was watching the whole time.

When she had seen enough, Marceline discreetly slipped into the room and slipped behind Finn. Then, when he tried to make himself disappear, she grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him down to the floor. He screamed in surprise, and started to lash out at what he presumed to be an invisible attacker.

"You know, I would have thought that with your now enhanced hearing you would have noticed me sneaking up on you." Marceline said playfully.

At the sound of her voice, Finn stopped attacking the air, and turned his head as far as he could to see Marceline smiling happily at him. But then he remembered that he was naked, and he screamed "Marceline, I'm indecent right now!" before prying her off of him and running to cover himself with his blankets.

Marceline laughed aloud and floated over to where Finn was struggling with his blankets. She went straight up to him, pressed her body against his and whispered into his ear, "You know, for an eighteen year-old you're pretty bad at catching a hint." She smiled and lashed her tongue against his bite marks before seductively waltzing away.

Finn watched intently, unintentionally drooling as she wobbled her hips back and forth. She was toying with him, and he liked it. But something she had said struck him as odd. "But I'm not eighteen yet." he said assuredly.

Marceline whipped around suddenly, her hands together behind her back, and whispered, "Happy birthday Finn".

**Okay guys, serious time. Or rather, possible lemon time: in Adventure Time! So many times... but yeah. so if you don't want lemon, just P.M. me. If an overwhelming majority is against it, I will just have to imply that something happens. Until next time! :D**


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